Will the New York Times take action against the plagiarist?
Why not?
Well, if you ask ol’ UD (she’s grateful to a number of readers who have linked her to this innovative form of plagiarism), the whole thing’s just too measly. Pursuing a lawsuit about crossword puzzles would be like crossword puzzles themselves:
1 ACROSS: SEVEN LETTERS, OF LITTLE IMPORTANCE
1 DOWN: PHRASE, ELEVEN LETTERS, THREE WORDS, POOR USE OF ONE’S MORNING